Everton remain winless at Stamford Bridge since 1994 and the familiarity of Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea suggests caution is still too prevalent in these away games against the top teams.
A run of 23 years without a win in this fixture means losing is somewhat easier to deal with, though that does not make it any less painful. What was more disappointing was the lack of ambition or evidence of a new approach. This was merely the same setup yielding the same problems as when the teams met on this ground last season.
Even accounting for a third match in six days and a squad without eight first-team players, this mirrored the one-sided nature of the 5-0 defeat encountered in the corresponding defeat in November.